Interesting news. Scaloni is considering talking to Neal Maupay about representing Argentina at the senior level. Neal Maupay? He has represented France at all levels but the senior. He was voted the best player in the EFL last season, plays for Brighton in the PL and has scored 3 goals so far this season. He was born in France but his mother is Argentine and he also has Argentina citizenship.

Martin Sarrafiore with a goal for Internacional last night in Brazil His third of the season. He is also an option as a right sided forward for the Olympics team, though it would be too late to include him I guess.

Hasn’t he been doing that since Maradona’s management days!! Him dropping deep to collect the ball due to the huge gap between our midfield and forward line was the main cause of our drought of goals under Tata,Bauza and Sampaoli!!

On Copa we had any, but Messi played more deeper and isolated than ever, only creative world class midfielders who can create and play the ball forward and full backs constant overlapping runs could solve the problem.

It doesn’t seem to work well. He is not a natural playmaker. I mean he can do it but it’s against his nature. His playing style is based on short passing and he can make difference when he is closed to the goal. I believe that he is better as half 9 with a winger on his right and supported by some creative midfielders. Currently with the players that we have, 352 or 442 seems to be the best fit.

Congratulations to messi.
A Complete Footballer.
Greatest of all time.
Btw the good news is both messi and aguero is going to be available for our next Friendly.
Scaloni will most probably try the same formation he used in Copa but he needs to make some changes. Why ?
Messi was isolated in that formation. And he is our best player and our best weapon. Scaloni needs to drop one of Martinez or Aguero and play an extra midfield. That will bring stability in both our offence and defense. This my opinion you guys my agree or disagree.

Btw the mid i prefer.

De paul Licha Martinez Palacios Lo Celso.

I choose Lisandro Martinez over Paredes because he is Good defensively.
The Second goal Germany scored against us from rojo’s mistake. Paredes made a mistake too. How ?
Look when a CB Makes a run he create a space in the defence. But when this happens CDM fill up that space. Paredes didn’t do that he was not even near Rojo so that he can make a pass. Only thing paredes is good at is controling now. Lack of playing time has reduced his amazing ability to make long pass that can break the defence or passing between the lines. I m really concerned about paredes he needs to leave PSG asap.
Nico Dominguez was more braver than him to make forward pass.

The general pattern of play around the last paragraph was something I had discussed. That whole section of play is a result of the higher tactical press the team played. Rather than individual faults these are more like negative side effects of that game plan. As I had gone over before, scaloni had not shown a desire to have a higher press with the second line of midfielders before this game, and this was something new this time.

Instead of only the goal line play, start the sequence from about 20:30 and you can see the whole shape of the team, including the DM’s together press the german spine very high squeezing ter stegen into a mistake leading to a turnover in possession to us. At that point the whole team is squeezed up high to keep the advantage and they switch the angle of attack to find room. The CDM dropping into the middle of the pitch before that point would have negated the point of that entire movement. However the CB’s run puts the CDM at a tricky spot and he actually begins to drops into the back line to keep the 2 CB at back shape while otamendi slides to the left to cover the gap. But at that point the team is overcome by the pace of the opposition break. Really the CB when receiving at that point needed to show a quicker release to either sideline, the mid between the lines, or higher up to keep up the advantage of the angle instead of driving. And this is the genesis of the reason the criticism is directed to him.

While this was a fault here, you can see that this very idea of the midline press was the driver of the ocampos goal, again something i had discussed.

For me it doesn’t matter who Scaloni picks. As long as we give a strong performance in the Copa and World Cup qualifiers then we should have an enjoyable World Cup to look forward to. These two challenges will show us how far we have progressed from the Messi-dependence tactics, which started with Tata and ended with Sampaoli. My question is can this team perform to standard required to win something when it really matter? Can this this take advantage of Messi brilliance instead of watching and admiring him? It’s like people never learn from experience on this platform. Only a few good friendly performances then a lot of fantasy lineups and how we would win this and how we would beat all comers stories begin. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone.We’re making a step forward but positions do not matter in reality as much as valued on Mundo. A lot of crickets expert who see themselves as football experts don’t know that successful coach tinker with different formations and tactics within the game.
Secondly, the lineups do not guarantee victory in football. The modern game is planned on the shapes of the opponent. Meaning that a modern world class coaches like Guardiola, Klopp, Simeone, Pocchetino, Zidane will not end the game with the same tactics as he started. They will read the opponents and then adapt their tactics to their opponents play.
Sometimes we might need Alario & Icardi headers over Lautaro and Kun finishing brilliance to win a game. Another time we’ll need a Messi free kick. Another time we’ll need an odd Lo Celso/Paredes/Tagliafico goal to win a game. Another time we’ll need a Foyth, Saravia, DM/ CB tackle to prevent an equalizer or an opener for the opposition. So far the rebuilding process looks promising til now but nothing has been delivered yet. Argentina winning U20 World Cups when we had the best development program in the world and promoting those young winners to the senior team didn’t transform into a senior World Cup victory. IMO I don’t expect this team to peak til somewhere in the WCQs in 2021. I doubt we will win the Copa with this newly formed team. I see this the same as Passarella reform period. A lot of people here don’t even know that Bielsa’s team was build on Passarella’s brave audacity to introduce young Crespo, Veron, Claudio Lopez, Almeida, Ayala, Zannetti, Sorin, Gallardo and Ortega( he was already there but talking about his NT development) to NT shirt early in their careers. He trusted them in the Copa and the World Cup qualifying. By the time they went to the 98 World Cup they were not feeling the pressure to perform but were ready to take responsibility.

No, its time for argentina to win something for argentina. I’m getting sick of shitheads who keep thinking its a one man job. Its a team effort. Stop relying on him all the time. That is just what was our problem before.

Without good supportive midfield it wont happen, he always need to step back deep to compensate our lack of qualities to play the ball forward, our biggest problem in Messi era. He gave 13 assists in 21 knockout matches (God playmaking level) plus 2 on Olympics (quarter and final), but still if our midfield unable to find him in dangerous ereas and Messi has to step back deep to get the ball it wont change.

Possible call up for Next friendlies
Defenders:Balerdi,Otamendi ,Foyth,Quarta Martinez,Marcos Acuna,Tagliafico,Montiel
Midfielders:De Paul,Palacios,Paredes,Lanzini,Mac Allister,N.Dominiguez,Ocampus
Forwards:Messi,Aguero,Alario,Martinez,Dybla
For Di maria and Rojo they may not be gonna any call up againand Dybla seems to be next in line.
Messi Alario. Ocampus
Messi Aguero Ocampus
Messi Aguero Alario
This aforward line is best.
For Midfield
De paul Paredes Palacios are best.
For Defense
Foyth Quarta Otamendi Tagliafico
Montiel Foyth Quarta Tagliafico
This is best back 4.
Acuna,Lanzini,Mac Allister are best back up.

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